Message-ID: <1391@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Feb-85 09:43:58 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.1391
Posted: Thu Feb 28 09:43:58 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 20:04:40 EST
References: <509@rlgvax.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 58
I really like THE MASKED MAN too. I also did the "buy all the
back issues of ECLIPSE MONTHLY at one shot" thing, so I ap-
preciate what you're saying. I'm not yet sure whether I'd call
MM "excellent" yet or not, due to a few niggling complaints.
To me, it seems obvious that Boyer wants his art to be tighter
than it is, i.e. he's trying but hasn't got it yet. Thus, while
the art is sometimes *so loose* that you have to be very open-
minded, I don't feel that Boyer is asking us to accept this
looseness as his conscious style, as does Bill S-word. Therefore,
we have to wait and watch Boyer develop, but his art at the
moment is apprenticey (although nice. Who else would remember
to make crying eyes pink instead of white?).
Which brings us to another thing: Barney cries too much.
*Everyone* cries too much. In *public*. This is contemporary
America Boyer is talking about, after all, and taboos against
men crying in public still exist to the degree that most men
won't break them. Used sparingly, it is a great humanizing
technique; too much and it becomes a gimmick. In Barney's
tape-recorded confession episode, though, it was *essential*.
All I'm asking for is a little restraint, a little taste....
Taste. Which brings us to: Boyer's treatment of the entire
concept of homosexuality is juvenile. Its intent is to amuse,
and I can accept that once or twice, but it *keeps cropping up*,
even where it is not necessary. I'm *not* saying that Boyer
should be crusading for gay lib (I'm sure McGregor will do
that if he hasn't already). But this promulgation of old
stereotypes is not funny. The fact that Barney can't tell MM
he loves him without sexual orientations coming into question
definitely says something about our society, but it's a sad
indictment. Boyer never seems to even imply overtones of the
sadness of this blind intolerance; he just hauls out the
raised eyebrows whenever he wants to get a laugh. I wish he'd
stop it: it reminds me too much of grade school kids sniggering
over their own four-letter words.
If he'd at least confront the issue head-on *once*, have Barney
chew someone out or beat them up or something....
(And in reply to any who might ask: no, I'm not, but a few of
my friends are... and they're real human beings, strangely enough.)
I also find it hard to believe that Boyer had never read THE SPIRIT
before starting MM, but whatever. The Spirit tribute episode was
indeed wonderful, though. Yeah, dammit, maybe MASKED MAN really
is excellent, after all!
I believe that MM appeared in the last two issues of the old
b&w ECLIPSE MAGAZINE. Try and find 'em, though.... (Hark!
What's that? Do I hear Eclipse offering to reprint them??)
RESTON: My God, we're hit! We're going down!
LARNER: Yep.
The Gray Mouser
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